Saturday, 5 December 2015

CMCH Junior Doctors Demand 'Liberty'

Our Correspondent ● Kolkata: Agitating junior doctors and nurses of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) have submitted a deputation to the West Bengal governor for the betterment of the government-run hospital, after chief minister Mamata Banerjee tagged the death of two newborns there as a "minor incident.” They also demanded ‘liberty’ to treat patients.

It may be recalled that the newborns, including a girl child, allegedly died because of overheating of a radiant warmer apparatus at CMCH on 27 November.

Banerjee had slammed the junior doctors and nurses agitating against suspension of their colleagues accused of not monitoring the CMCH warmers.

Subir Nag, one of the agitating doctors, said: “We can’t even write prescriptions to patients without consulting the superintendent. Even if a patient is critical, we have been given strictures that the medicines and the supporting accessories should be brought from the hospital. If the materials are not readily available, the patients suffer more.”

Speaking about the condition of the hospital, Jayanti Bagchi, an intern nurse said: “I joined here as an intern and my first experience was terrible. Some months back, a patient came with his spinal cord broke into pieces. A senior doctor with the support of superintendent told that the materials needed for his treatment was not available at the hospital, and might take over a month to be readily available. Family members of the patients were ready to get the necessary items from an outside medicine shop. But the senior doctor refused to treat the patient with materials brought from outside as he was given strict mandates from upper level.”